DotCom
by mygyps17
Summary: Chloe's hit a bit of a dry spell when it comes to a love life, so Lois makes her sign up for one of those dating services in hopes of finding her a soulmate.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Hi guys! I think this is like me 20th time letting everyone know that I own nothing of smallville; but just in case you didn't get it the first nineteen times; I don't own the rights to Smallville, or any of its characters;)

Enjoy!

~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

"What's wrong with him?"

Though she's totally in her car alone, Kelly West asks this question aloud. She's been seeing Clark Kent for nearly a month now and she can't quite figure him out. Of course, she doesn't _want _anything to be wrong with him. But she's sure there's s_omething_ wrong with him; there's always something wrong with the ones who seem too good to be true. And Clark seems to be as good as it gets. He's hot, employed, and a complete gentleman; and not just any gentleman. A farm boy gentleman who knows how to treat a lady; he holds her door open for her, covers her with his jacket if she's cold, and he doesn't push her to do anything she doesn't want to do. It's been a month and he hasn't even kissed her full on the lips, let alone seen her with her shirt off! Now, she's not a floosy or anything, but she can't help but to wonder if he's just an extra patient man, or if he's just too nice tell her that he doesn't find her attractive enough.

She shakes her head at that last thought. Of course she's attractive enough; natural wavy blonde hair, legs from here to there, natural D cups, and full pouty lips. Boys have been checking her out since junior high.

"So what's with the sudden low self-esteem problem, Kelly Girl," she asks herself.

Maybe he's gay.

She scoffs at the idea. That's a little _too_ much self-esteem. The whole "if there's nothing wrong with me, there's got to be something wrong with him" thing. She concludes that he's just an old fashioned gentleman and that's why he hasn't put the moves on her yet. He's not from here, the city. He's from a little town called Smallville. They grow 'em different on the farm, right?

She takes a deep breath as she pulls up into his apartment lot. This is her first time coming to his place. She sort of invited herself over for dinner a couple days ago. She couldn't help it. She's not as patient as he is; and hopefully he's not _actually_ this patient. Hopefully, he just doesn't want to scare her off by being so forward. He's shy like that.

She quickly makes it to his door, Apartment number 303, and inhales deeply. God she's nervous. She's not used to the feeling. She's wealthy, sexy, and has never been intimidated by men; but this one, this Clark Kent...

She checks herself, making sure her clothes are still pressed and her makeup is still in place. There's not a single wrinkle in her pants or the slightest bit of lipstick out of place. Once she's satisfied and mentally ready, she knocks on the door.

She doesn't have to wait long. Clark answers almost immediately, and the sight of him makes her legs turn to jelly. He's so damn handsome. Her eyes are drawn to his mouth because he's talking to her, greeting her and inviting her inside of his home. She steps inside and lets him take her jacket. The feel of his fingertips on her skin make her shiver, even though he's just touching her shoulder.

Kelly pulls her mind away from those kinds of thoughts immediately. They'll only lead her to one place, wondering where his bedroom is; so she focuses on something else. Like the smell of his apartment. Chili. Chili and baked potatoes, though there's nothing fancy at all about it, it's her absolute favorite meal. She can't believe Clark remembered that. She told him that the very first time she met him, before they started dating; and that was over seven months ago! Could he be any more perfect? Seriously, there's got to be _something _wrong with him.

"Tell me you actually cooked this and didn't pay someone else to do it just to impress me," Kelly demands good-naturedly once she's directed to the table and gets a look at the meal. There's even a salad.

Clark smiles at her as he pulls out her chair for her.

"No, I didn't pay anyone. I cooked supper myself."

_Supper? _

He really is old fashioned.

Kelly takes a bite of her chili and sighs. There's no way he made this. His mother made it using the secret recipe that her great-great grandmother thought up, for sure. It's _that_ good.

"Okay, that was nice to hear; but you can tell me the truth this time. Who really cooked this meal?"

He grins back at her. "I did," he says simply.

Kelly can feel her stomach do somersaults. He's just too damn sexy. She wishes he wasn't such a gentleman. She wishes she could just jump across the table and tackle him. She wishes _he'd_ just jump across this table right now, pull her into his bedroom and-

"Kelly, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she nearly squeaks. She absolutely mortified; like he just caught her masturbating her something.

She shoves more chili into her mouth and has a look around his apartment. That's when she spots them; pictures of another woman all over. How did she not notice before? They're _everywhere._ The woman is blonde, like her, but with a much shorter haircut. She's got green eyes and a grin that'll stop your heart…if you're a guy, or one of her parents. In most of the pictures, the woman is young, maybe high school young. There are a few pictures of her and Clark together, but mostly, the young woman is by herself. Kelly guesses they were high school sweethearts, the kind that got married right after graduation. Judging by the many photos of her, Kelly surmises that she's deceased.

That's what's wrong with Clark Kent. He's a widower.

She can deal with that. It even makes sense to her. Of course he's not going to just jump into a new relationship. He's probably feeling guilty about moving on; and he probably wants to take things slow because he's afraid of losing someone again.

Then the door opens, and Kelly hears the voices of two women. They're talking about another woman, Lucy. That's how much Kelly gathers from the conversation before she stops listening. _She _has just stepped into the dining room; the woman in the picture, followed by Lois Lane.

Clark clears his throat and the two women get silent immediately.

Clark walks around the table and stands next to Kelly as he introduces the women to each other.

"Lois you know Kelly,"

"Yeah," Lois says, but she doesn't make an attempt to shake Kelly's hand. There's no need. They don't exactly like each other so much. So, Lois goes into the kitchen and fixes herself a bit of Kelly and Clark's "date" food.

_How rude. _But it's not like Kelly expects anything less from Lois Lane.

"Chloe, this is Kelly. Kelly," Clark turns a little to face his date. "This is my roommate, Chloe Sullivan."

"I'm so sorry, Clark. I forgot you said you were bringing your date today," Chloe apologizes before holding her hand out to Kelly.

Clark shrugs, like it's no big deal. Kelly decides that it _is _a big deal. She's more than convinced that this _Chloe _tried to sabotage his date on purpose. She must be in love with Clark herself and doesn't want him to date anyone else. Seriously, what woman would put a million pictures of herself up in an apartment that she shares with a man? It's simple. A woman who's marking her territory, one who wants every other female that walks in here to know that she exists.

Kelly takes Chloe's hand in hers and shakes it firmly. "You two have been friends for a_ long _time, haven't you," she smiles sweetly, putting an emphasis on the word long. She stares Chloe in the eyes, those innocent-looking green orbs, and hopes she gets the message she's subtly implying. She hopes Chloe can understand that what she's _trying _to say is, "You've known Clark this long and you two still aren't dating. If he wanted you, he'd have had you by now, so get over yourself and start searching for a new man."

Chloe's eyebrows dip slightly; like she's confused.

_Fat chance._

Kelly looks up and around, gesturing at all those photos and bluntly _un_confusing her.

Chloe looks up at all the photos too and groans. "Clark! I told you to take these _before _your date!" She doesn't excuse herself as she briskly walks over to the nearest photo and pulls it down off of the wall. She goes down a little further, snatching up every picture she can reach. Clark's behind her within seconds and is taking the photos from her. She lets him until she turns around and notices that he's putting them back exactly where he had them.

"Clark!" she yells exasperatedly.

"What? I like them there. They're good memories," he answers stubbornly.

"You don't need memories of me, Clark. I'm right here!"

"Yeah, but you're not exactly fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen anymore," he rebuttals as he gestures toward the pictures taken during their high school years.

Kelly can hear Lois snort unlady-like behind her, and she ignores her. She keeps watching Clark and Chloe's stupid little argument. She sees Chloe's eyes narrow, as if she's angry. What could _she _possibly be angry about?

"Are you calling me fat?"

"What? No! how'd you get fat out of that?" he answers, taking a step forward; towards Chloe.

"Oh please, Smallville. _I_ got fat out of that."

"Shut up, Lois!" Clark answers in a panic when Lois's words seem to make the other blonde angrier. Kelly scowls and works her jaw from side to side. Chloe has no right to be angry. _Chloe_ crashed _her _date; and _Chloe's_ not being ignored in favor of a stupid little argument that doesn't even make any sense!

Chloe raises her eyebrows and folds her arms over her chest, waiting for an explanation.

Clark takes another step toward Chloe. "I was just saying that you're not as young as you used to be."

Lois bursts out laughing. She knows what's coming. Even Kelly knows what's going to come out of Chloe's mouth next.

"So now you're calling me old?" She fixes him with an unforgiving and icy glare.

"Sure did, Cuz," Lois interjects in between her laughter.

Clark runs a hand through his hair, a sign that he's frustrated. "Shut. Up. Lois!"

"Whatever," Chloe says haughtily before walking past him and heading down a narrow hallway. Kelly can only assume she's going to her room, and she's more than okay with that until Clark follows her. He _actually _follows her.

Chloe shuts the door and Clark starts knocking. Lois moves so that she's standing at the end of the hallway, watching the show. Instead of popcorn, she's got a bowl of chili to accompany her.

Kelly watches Lois shake her head and laugh at Clark's many pleas for Chloe to open the door, and Chloe's constant "go aways!"

Two minutes later, Kelly's had enough. She sneaks out the apartment. Is it still sneaking if no one will even notice or care about your disappearance? No, it's not. So, she just leaves; but at least she knows it's not her. At least she knows what's wrong with Clark Kent.

He's totally in love with his roommate.

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

**A/N: **Next post will be monday, April 9th


	2. Chapter 2

**Whatareweafraidof, lovethechruce : **Thanks!

**Kanahime-chan: **Lol. You're so right!

**Abhinke4u: **totally agree;)

**Madlenita: **Lol. I know, I laughed when I was writing the part with Lois.

**The fallen sky: **God TFS, I bet that took you two days to write. Unfortunately, I've got a little less than five minutes to respond . So, I'll just say thank you so very much for writing all those amazing things, and making all those amazing observations, and trying your very best to make some future predictions. And just so you know, you're not swaying me to make this a M-rated fic...'cause I know you were thinking about it;)

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this. I'm going to call him and cancel," Chloe announces to her cousin before picking up her cell and attempting to unzip her dress as well.

"Whoa, oh no you don't!" Lois yells as she jumps out of Chloe's bed and practically tackles her younger cousin. She grabs a hold of the zipper on Chloe's dress and refuses to allow her to pull it down any further. "Do I need to remind you of how much I spent so you could meet this guy?"

Chloe rolls her eyes and groans loudly. She can't believe she let Lois talk her into signing up for one of those online dating services either. Is she really that desperate to find a guy? She's satisfied with being single, right? She only signed up to make Lois shut up. Her cousin had been hounding her for a few weeks straight, even offered to pay for it with her own money, until finally Chloe just couldn't take it anymore. She agreed.

Now, she wishes she hadn't agreed, and she wishes she hadn't let Lois pay even more. She can't cancel the date and waste Lois's money. She'll feel too guilty.

Damn.

"Plus, he might be totally worth it," Lois continues as if she didn't just guilt trip her.

_Or, he might not. _Chloe thinks before gently reprimanding herself. She should stop being such a pessimist. Lois could be right. Her date could turn out to be Mr. Right.

She lets Lois finish dressing her and doing her make up, but only because her cousin has insisted.

"There you go," Lois beams twenty minutes later. Chloe checks herself in the mirror. She's wearing a little black dress with red heels. The effect is…eye-catching. She's just glad her makeup is subtle; or else she'd look like a prostitute.

There's a knock on the door and Chloe suddenly decides she has to use the bathroom. She starts to head toward her new refuge where, once inside, she'll lock the door and refuse to come out for about three days.

"No, this way," Lois commands as she grabs Chloe's arm and steers her in the opposite direction of the bathroom. It's all Chloe can do to keep from muttering a few obscenities Lois's way. She should be allowed to use the bathroom! She _would _be allowed to use the bathroom if her cousin didn't know her so well. Damn her.

Once they're in front of the door, where Lois had to physically guide her in order to keep her from running off, Chloe sighs heavily. There's nothing else to do _but _answer the door. So, she answers the door, and just as fast as she opens it, that's how fast she wants to close it back; but her mind and body aren't in sync right now. She just stands there and stares at her "date;" her old, balding, and short date.

He's got to be at least fifty, with grey hair and the kind of receding hairline that makes one wish he would just cut his losses as well as the rest of the hair off. Not even a good toupee could help him out. And his height; Chloe's not a very tall woman. In fact, Chloe's not a tall woman at all, yet she's at least a head taller than this man who is supposed to be her date; and the heels aren't helping either.

She glares back at Lois, who in turn doesn't have the decency to contain her snickers before running into her Clark's bedroom. It's the closest room, and Chloe has no doubt that she's having a good laugh at her expense.

"Hello, I'm Walter. Walter Gray. It's nice to meet you."

Chloe turns back and gives the man her attention. She forces herself to smile back at him as she introduces herself. Mentally, she gives herself a lecture. She needs to stop being prejudice. Walter could be a _very _nice man. Still, she doesn't invite him inside for a drink. She just wants to get this thing done and over with. "Shall we?" she asks as brightly as she can while gesturing toward the parking lot.

He smiles back at her and she's so relieved to see teeth that she doesn't care if they're actually his. "Use the bathroom before we go, dear" he tells her while pointing into the apartment even as she's shutting and locking the door.

She shakes her head. No, she doesn't have to use the bathroom. She wishes she could_ live _in the bathroom for the next week or so. Maybe longer than that; it depends on how long it takes to get over this date.

She walks beside Walter, not behind, determined to speed up his pace as he leads her to his car. It doesn't work. He keeps his point-twenty-five-miles-an-hour stride until they reach his black Lincoln. He opens the door for her, and she gets inside without hesitation. She barely remembers to thank him. She mentally scolds herself again. She's not like this. She's a nice woman, with a good heart. Why is she being such a bitch to this man? It's not his fault. It's Lois's…and her own; because she shouldn't have agreed to go on the date in the first place.

Chloe stares ahead, lost in thought for a few seconds before she realizes the car isn't moving. Walter's in the car, she knows that. Not only did she hear his door open and shut; but she can see him via her peripheral vision; and she can feel that his eyes are on her. What the hell does he want? Doing her best not to sigh, she looks his way and forces a smile onto her face. The keys are in his hand poised just below the ignition. He seems to be waiting for something before he starts the car; but it doesn't seem as if he's gonna tell her what it is.

"Is something wrong, Walter?" Chloe gets out through that fake smile she's been barely holding onto.

Walter gives Chloe a confused look, as if he can't believe she doesn't know what's wrong before saying, "Put your seatbelt on, dear."

Chloe grits her teeth before reaching back for the safety belt. She doesn't like being called dear by this older man; and she hates being told what to do by him as well. He's not her damn father.

Despite his many attempts at a conversation, Chloe keeps as silent as possible on their way to the restaurant. He's got too many grandchildren, doctor appointments, and senior activities to contend with. _They, _he and Chloe, have absolutely nothing in common.

They end up at Giovanni's, a four star Italian restaurant. Not a bad choice, but Chloe wishes they could've gone somewhere a little further, like somewhere in Oregon; somewhere where there's no chance in hell she'd see anyone she knows.

And she's right to wish that, because as soon as she she's seated, she sees someone she knows. Now, she doesn't know this woman very well, but she's seen her before and that's enough for Chloe. Her first instinct is to duck underneath the table; but Kelly West has already spotted her and is heading her way. She stands and attempts to greet the woman with a handshake, after all, she barely knows her; but Kelly's not having that. She embraces Chloe in a quick hug and introduces her date, Liam Hall. God, he's gorgeous.

Liam gives a low whistle and a wink after being introduced to Chloe. Kelly elbows him playfully, not the least bit worried. Apparently, Liam does a lot of flirting and doesn't mean anything by it.

"So, Mr. Sullivan," Liam starts off making Chloe visibly wince. "Has anyone ever assumed you're dating your daughter?" he grins good-naturedly as he shakes Walter's hand. Kelly jabs him in the rib again. "I think it's sweet that you still make time for your father. I wish my father and I were still on speaking terms," she ends with a small smile.

Just then, Walter grabs Chloe's hand and as he pulls her seat out for her, he informs the other couple that Chloe is not his daughter. She's his date.

Chloe chooses not to look at Liam and Kelly as they make apologies and excuse themselves. She's too mortified to face them. She doesn't need a mirror to see that her face is beet red. Why couldn't Walter just let them think he was her father? Would that have been too much to ask for?

When the waiter comes, she doesn't hesitate with her order. She wants, no, _needs_, a drink. She orders the first thing she sees that has vodka in it.

"Make it nonalcoholic, please," Walter tells the waiter before hastily launching into his order.

Chloe interrupts him. "I want alcohol in my drink," she tells the waiter.

"You can't have alcohol, dear," Walter says before finishing his order. He doesn't even look up at her as he says this. It's like he thinks he's made the final decision and she's not supposed to question it.

"I want alcohol in my drink," Chloe tells the waiter firmly; he's very young and at a loss for what to do so he stands there with his pen, pad, and a helpless look on his face.

"No alcohol," Walter tells the waiter, his voice is just as firm.

Chloe sends the waiter away and asks him to come back later with a tight smile on her face. The poor boy looks like he's about to have a mental breakdown, or cry at least.

"Why are you telling me I can't have alcohol?" she hisses as soon as they're alone.

He raises those thin, grey, eyebrows at her, as if she should already know the answer before speaking. "What if something happens to me and you have to take over the wheel, dear? You shouldn't drink and drive, you know."

That's when Chloe decides she can't do it anymore. She can't finish this date. She's _got_ to go.

She stands up, excusing herself so that she can go to the ladies room where she plans on calling a taxi and ditching Walter Gray; plus she really does have to use the bathroom.

Walter openly frowns at her, which truly pisses Chloe off. Does she need his permission to pee too? "What?" she snaps a little more irritably than she intended.

"I told you to use the bathroom before we left the house, dear."

"Well, I didn't have to go then!" Chloe's barely able to get the words out through her clenched teeth. She turns quickly, both realizing and regretting the fact that she just sounded like a five year old who refused to go to the bathroom on the way to an outing with her father, only to find she can't hold it very long only ten minutes into the car ride.

Even if she could find a way to appreciate Walter, it would never, ever, work. He's too paternal. Not to mention a control freak.

Quickly, she locks herself into a stall and relieves herself. Before she can flush the toilet, she's dialing the cab. Then she drops her phone…into the toilet…which she hasn't flushed yet. She swears loudly; probably loud enough for Walter to hear her. And at the thought of Walter, she seriously considers fishing her phone out of the toilet. It's for his own safety; really. She won't be able to make it through their date without killing him.

In the end, she decides to just flush the toilet, but she refuses to watch her phone disappear, she washes her hands and sits back down in front of Walter…and a plate of pasta that she did not order.

"You were gone when the waiter came back, so I ordered for you, dear."

Chloe winces. If he calls her "dear" one more time…

She eats her food silently; letting Walter do all of the talking and answering every question with just one word if she can manage it. She doesn't even look at her drink, let alone touch it. She's sure there's no alcohol in it; and she's also sure that Walter signaled the waiter over as soon as she went to the bathroom so he could order her something nonalcoholic without interruption.

When the check finally comes, Chloe pulls out her wallet and pays for her own meal. She doesn't want Walter to pay for her, but she still gets angrier with him when he doesn't offer. As she exits the restaurant, she has to tell herself that it's okay that he didn't pay. It's not like she wanted him to anyway. And besides, the date's over. She's going home.

Home. It's the thought of going home that puts a smile on her face as she gets into Walter's car.

"Put your seatbelt on, dear," Walter tells her, and with just those few words he's managed to snatch the smile off Chloe's face. It's the last straw.

"Chloe, dear; put your"-

"No!" she shouts stubbornly. She's not wearing the stupid seatbelt. She's not doing anything he says. Just because he's old, it doesn't mean she's got to listen to him.

Walter openly stares at her with a shocked and dismayed expression on his face for about a whole minute before he cleans it up. Then he sighs out an, "all right, have it your way."

Chloe would smile, but then Walter turns off the car and puts the keys in his lap. "I can sit here all night," he smiles widely at her.

She rolls her eyes and looks out the window. Why is she being so stubborn? She should just put the damn seatbelt on and let Walter take her home. But there's an even bigger part of her that doesn't want to give in to Walter's demands and it casts long shadows over the part of her that just wants to go home. She can't help it; so, she sits there and stares at anything but Walter for about a good ten minutes. That's how long she lasts because Walter has just turned on his radio and is torturing her with some banjo and fiddle playing back of the woods music. She can't deal. She reaches behind herself, grabs the seatbelt and buckles in. Immediately, Walter starts the car and drives off.

She's a little disgusted in herself for caving so quickly, so she keeps staring ahead, refusing to acknowledge Walter's presence. That is until they hit a red light and she can see him staring at her the _whole_ time via her peripheral vision. She makes the mistake of glancing at him and catches the smug look on his face. He's so happy he got her to obey and Chloe can't let him get away with that. She takes off her seatbelt once the light turns green and she knows that he can't just stop in the middle of the road. And even if he does stop in the middle of the road, she'll just get out of the car and walk home. She's not that far.

She's right. Walter doesn't stop the car; he does something much worse. He tries to put her seatbelt back on…while he's supposed to be driving. They run a red light and are immediately stopped by the police.

No one says a word until the cop is at Walter's window. And the first words spoken come from said cop.

"Do you know why I pulled you over, sir?"

Walter shakes his head and blatantly lies. "No sir."

"You ran a red light. License and registration please."

Walter's mouth falls open, as if he's truly in shock and he shakes his head repeatedly as he reaches across Chloe's lap, making her cringe, to dig around in his glove department.

"I'm so very sorry," Walter says in a trembling voice. "I can't believe I did that." He hangs his head in shame as he hands the officer his papers. "I was just trying to get my date to put on her seatbelt. It's the law you know; but she's a stubborn one she is. I should've been paying more attention. I could have caused an accident! Oh, I can't believe this," he cries as he rests his forehead against the steering wheel.

"Is that what happened ma'am?"

Ma'am; which means the officer is addressing Chloe. She barely restrains a roll of her eyes as she confirms Walter's story.

The officer writes out a ticket and hands it to Chloe…to Chloe! For not wearing her seatbelt, Chloe gets a ticket and Walter gets a, "Continue to drive safely," from the cop. _He _was the one who ran a red light. She can't believe this!

She silently stuffs the ticket in her purse and thinks of all the ways she could kill Walter and get away with it. Of course she's not going to act on it, but it's good for her psyche right now.

"Chloe."

"What!" she snaps, not even caring that Walter may still end up having a stroke or a heart attack because of his run in with the law.

"Put your seatbelt on, dear."

She does as he says and ignores the looks he's giving her during the rest of the ride home. She knows they're laced with satisfaction.

She's says nothing when she gets out of his car. Nothing; not even, "Goodbye, I hope I never have to see your withering face again!" She's too pissed off for that, and it's not as if he waited around to hear her say it either. He tore off as soon as she slammed his door shut.

When Chloe gets into her apartment, she heads straight for Clark's room, ready to dump on her best friend; but he's not there. She lets out a growl of frustration. Not being able to talk to Clark when she needs him is perhaps worse than her entire evening with Walter and the time she caught chicken pox combined.

She turns on his TV and hops into Clark's bed. She's all the way in; center of the bed, back against the headboard, and feet nowhere near the edge. She'd take off her shoes but she's subconsciously punishing Clark for not being here for her. Her plan is to wait there until he gets home because she really can't sleep until she sees him.

~{(O)(O)(O)}~

Clark walks into his room with a deep sigh. Kelly West called him earlier this evening. He didn't get to answer the phone, so she left a message. It was about Chloe. She wanted to apologize for assuming Chloe's date was her father, she feels like an idiot, blah, blah, blah.

He hasn't heard from Kelly in over a week yet she called to talk about Chloe? She dumped him, just after he made that dinner for her. He's not sad over it, just confused. He doesn't understand _why _he was dumped. He's been going crazy just thinking about it. She offered no explanation whatsoever, and she honestly didn't seem to be angry with him. Maybe it wasn't something _he _did. Now there's a thought.

He shakes his head and turns off his light. He's pretty sure it was him somehow.

Before scooting into bed, he undresses down to his boxers; then he falls out of his bed. There's someone already there. He's not alone.

He hurries and turns on his light. It's Chloe. Chloe's in his bed. Then he rolls his eyes…at himself. Who else would it be? Who else does he share an apartment with?

He approaches her slowly, careful not to wake her…or Clark junior. She's still dressed for her date. Has to be. She's in a short black dress, which is even shorter now that it's practically ridden up to her waist; and red heels. Very sexy red heels; and just like that Clark Junior's awake.

He swears softly and turns so that Chloe can't see him; but he reminds himself that she's asleep. She won't see. He almost can't believe this is happening. Almost.

It started about two months ago. Chloe'd come out the shower all wet with just a towel on and he'd get a hard on; or she'd wink at him because he did something silly but she thought it was adorable; or she'd bend over to pick up something she spilled, or she'd run, or smile, or whatever! _Anything_ she'd do would cause him to get hard, instantly. He figured he needed to start dating; he was sure he kept having reactions to Chloe because she was the only female he ever spent any time with. So, A month later he was dating Kelly West.

It didn't help. There's something wrong with him.

He clears his throat and scratches his head. Normally, Clark would just pick Chloe up and take her to her own room; but in his current condition he's afraid he might poke her with his…well, he's afraid he might poke her. And if he slides in next to her, he'll most definitely poke her.

He shrugs his shoulders, takes of her shoes, throws them into his closet, and covers her up fully. More than likely she fell asleep in his bed because she wanted to talk to him about her date. He hopes it went horrible. He's not sure why; he just does.

He heads for her room, more than sure she'd be okay with okay with him sleeping in her bed. It's not like she's not occupying his at the moment. Although Chloe's bed set is a lot more feminine than his, he hops in and also ignores the fact that Chloe's bed is much more comfortable than his is. He closes his eyes, waiting for sleep to come.

It doesn't.

Chloe's pillows smell just like her; and naturally he gets another hard on.

What the hell is _wrong _with him?

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

**A/N: **Next post will be Friday, the 13th


	3. Chapter 3

**Windywillow: **Thank you, I was trying to do something a little different this time around.

**Whatareweafraidof, Madlenita : **Thanks!

**The fallen sky: **You know, I think Chloe and Lois had a really close relationship on the show for a while, then it was kinda gone; but I always try to write my stories as if they were the cousins we were first exposed to during their earlier seasons together. Glad you noticed.

Yeah, Walter was a royal douche, but I had so much fun writing that date; even though Chloe had to suffer. And Chloe dropping her phone in the toilet was one of my favorite parts. She just couldn't catch a damn break, could she? Lol.

**Shonnia22: **Ha! You're totally right. I would kick Lois's ass after that date! Lol.

**SilverSnikle: **Thank you! And yeah, Clark's always been a bit dense, what else is new? Lol. I think Chloe will always love Clark, no matter what. I think it's OOC for her to not love Clark.

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

A second date. Chloe can't _believe_ she's going on a second date. It's only been two weeks and a new cell since the last one; since Walter. She's not ready yet. How can she ever trust that stupid site again? How could that site have _ever_ thought she and Walter were compatible? But somehow, Lois has managed to guilt Chloe into a second date. First by hanging the fact that she paid serious bucks for the site with her own money; and then by promising Chloe she only had to do two more dates after this one, _if _this one doesn't work out, and she won't bother her about it ever again. It's a promise.

Then Lois altered Chloe's profile page for her and assured her the next date, _this_ date, would be nothing like the first one. And Chloe can honestly believe that. There's no doubt in her mind that no date could _ever_ be more awful than the one she went on with Walter Gray.

This time Chloe dresses herself, although she probably was only allowed to do so because Lois isn't here. She's at work. Thank God.

She checks herself in the mirror quickly; a red blouse, blue jeans and those same red heels she wore on her date with Walter. She's going for dressy and casual all at once, and she believes she's achieved her goal.

Her next stop is Clark's room. She begged him to stay home until her date showed up; that way, if he even_ looks _like he and Chloe _might _not be compatible, Clark can step in and claim to be her boyfriend or whatever.

Clark's bedroom door is open, which doesn't really surprise Chloe. He hardly ever shuts it, and he never locks it. She's welcome anytime she wants.

"So, how do I look?" She calls brightly before giving him a small twirl.

Clark takes one look at Chloe and turns around, showing his back to her. Weird.

"You look okay I guess," he shrugs as he starts to open and shut his dresser drawers, pretending to look for something.

Chloe rolls his eyes. Clark's been acting weird for a while now; probably because of the way Kelly dumped him. It's so weird to see him pining after a woman again, especially because the last woman he pinned after was Lana Lang, and that was about three years ago.

Chloe takes no offense to Clark's behavior. He'll get over Kelly soon; Chloe's sure of it. The Woman's no Lana Lang.

"Well, wish me luck," Chloe tells him; and when he doesn't respond she shrugs her shoulders and heads back to her room, she's got a few last minute touches to do on her makeup and she should be ready to go.

"You know Chloe…" Chloe jumps when she hears Clark's voice directly behind her. Like him, she keeps her door open most of the time; but she knows she shut it this time and she didn't even see him open it; which means he used his superspeed to sneak up behind her. She _hates _it when he uses his superspeed to sneak up behind her. "I don't think you should go on this date," he finishes as if he didn't scare the crap out of her and make her smear lipstick all over her cheek.

"I mean, that Walter guy was a real creep. He was old and bossy and he got you a ticket and you could've been killed and"-

At first, Chloe was going to tell Clark to stop sneaking up on her; but she doubts it'll even mean anything to him. He's still not facing her, just walking around her room and idly touching her things as he goes on and on with his list of reasons for why she shouldn't date. But then Clark brings up Sean, the meteor infected boy who tried to suck out all her body heat _freshman_ year, and Chloe can't listen any longer.

"Clark, I'm sure my date isn't meteor infected. And there's a good chance he'll be nothing like Walter,"-

"But"-

"No buts, I'll be fine, and if I'm not fine I can always call you, right?"

"Yeah, but"-

"No buts," Chloe interrupts and heads toward the bathroom, effectively ending the conversation; but she can't believe she just defended her date. It's not like she even _wants_ to go.

As soon as she shuts the bathroom door behind her, there's a knock on the front door. She opens the bathroom door immediately and pokes her head out. "Clark, open the door!"

No response.

"Clark! The door!"

Still no answer.

"Clark!"

Finally he comes out of her bedroom, but he doesn't face her at all. He heads straight for his room.

She swears loudly before diving back in to wipe the lipstick off her cheek. Damn Clark. He could've opened the door for her date. Just because he doesn't want her to go doesn't mean he's got to be rude about it.

By the time Chloe answers the door, the knocking's stopped and her date is leaving. Thankfully, hasn't gotten that far; he's not even a full yard away.

"Hey!" Chloe calls, as she practically jogs up to meet him. "Sorry, I couldn't get to the door sooner."

The man turns around and Chloe is looking into one of the most handsome faces she's ever encountered. Okay, maybe he's not _the _most handsome man in the world. Maybe Chloe's just so happy to see someone who's younger than Walter; but still, he _is_ good looking; almost up there with Clark. Well, not as high up there; Clark's actually pretty damn high up there in Chloe's, book but he's still not so bad. The man's young, her age, with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and a wicked dimple in his left cheek, which Chloe finds very interesting for some reason.

"Hi, I'm Chloe," she grins.

He holds his hand out to her and introduces himself as William Berge. "You look_ really_ nice," he comments after a quick scan of her outfit.

Chloe scans his outfit too and is instantly relieved. He's dressed similar to her, dressy but casual at the same time. She would've hated to be the one who was underdressed.

"Chloe!"

Chloe looks behind herself at the sound of Clark hissing her name. Her eyebrows rise on their own when she sees him. Only his head, a quarter of his chest, and his left arm can be seen. The rest of his body is hidden behind the door. He beckons her, his left hand doing this frantic wave, and as if it's not obvious he wants her to come to him, he repeatedly mouths "come here" rather loudly.

"Uh, I think your uh"-

"He's my very overprotective roommate. I think he wants to make sure I have my phone and a compass just in case I get lost," Chloe answers William quickly. It's more than obvious he was fishing for an explanation for the hot guy in her apartment.

"Chloe!" Clark hisses loudly, and a bit frantically, the very second she turns from him and gives William her attention. It's as if he's afraid Chloe's decided to ignore him. She hopes he realizes no one could've ignored _that_.

"Okay, uh, just meet me at my car. It's that one over there," William chuckles as he points at Dodge pick-up. It's not brand new like Walter's Lincoln, but Chloe could care less.

"Okay," she agrees; then heads straight for Clark.

"Make sure you have your cell phone," Clark tells Chloe as soon as she's within reaching distance. He's completely ignoring the scowl on her face; which turns into an amused smile when she realizes she was right. Clark's giving her last minute safety tips. How can she be mad at him? It's one of the many reasons she loves him to death. He really cares for her.

"Clark, I'll be fine," she cuts in on what promises to be a long lesson on how she shouldn't hesitate to call him when there's trouble, as she often does. It's her MO to try and save herself first and to _only_ call Clark as a last result.

"Okay, do you have your pepper spray, Taser gun,"-

"Clark, yes, I got everything I need." Chloe rolls her eyes. She actually doesn't have her Taser, but she's not going to make her date wait any longer by going to get it. "Can I go now?"

He puts his hand on her shoulder and takes a deep breath; she knows he's preparing himself to send her off. She wants to smile but she doesn't because she knows it'll probably make him think she hasn't been taking him serious; so, she pokes her bottom lip out slightly. Yeah, she's gone as low as to pretend to pout.

"Okay, have fun Chloe," he whispers before kissing her quickly and practically shutting the door in her face.

She walks over to her date's truck with one thought on her mind. Clark kissed her. Clark kissed her lips. Now, Clark's kissed her plenty of times, on her cheeks, her forehead; places like that; but never on her lips, not since high school.

She mentally shakes her head as she climbs into William's car. It wasn't like he used his tongue. The kiss didn't eve last a full second really; plus, Clark was probably aiming for her cheek and missed. She's sure that's the case, so she forces herself to forget the kiss and concentrate on William, her date.

She learns a lot about him. He's the youngest out of six; wow. He's putting himself through school so he can't exactly afford a very nice car, and he apologizes for it.

Chloe brushes the apology away. William has nothing to be sorry for. In fact, she'd have to say she admires him and thinks he's totally responsible…until she realizes their date is going to take place in a part of Metropolis that she doesn't visit often, and for good reason. He's driven her to one of the seedier parts of town.

Chloe takes a few calming breathes when he parks outside a restaurant called "Mama Mia's." Another Italian restaurant, but Chloe doubts it'll hold a candle to Giovanni's. Not when half the letters in the restaurant's sign are blown out, the homeless can be seen unabashedly picking their dinner out of the dumpster just a few feet away from the entrance, and she's more than certain she just witnessed a drug exchange across the street.

Chloe makes a conscious effort not to wrinkle her nose when she gets inside. It smells like cheese. What Italian restaurant doesn't use cheese, she's sure there isn't one; but they shouldn't _smell _like cheese.

She chastises herself. She's being snotty. Maybe William can't afford a nice restaurant. In fact, she knows he can't afford much, but at least he's trying. She should try too. So, she does. She orders the safest thing on the menu, a garden salad. Can't go wrong with a salad. At least, you'd think you couldn't go wrong with a garden salad. But you can, especially if the lettuce you're served has brown edges and is wilted, and as an attempt to cover the bad lettuce, the salad is absolutely soaked in Italian dressing. It's a huge soggy mess. She can't eat it.

As William eats his pasta, which actually looks _and _smells delicious, Chloe pushes her food around, pretends to be interested in what he's talking about, and wonders what Clark cooked so that she can eat when she gets home. Maybe she should call him to make sure he's got some alcohol to wash it down with. She's gonna need it.

"You ready to go?"

Chloe blinks. He's finished eating. That was fast. She looks down at her uneaten salad and tells him that she's done. Then she smiles at him as he takes care of the check. He's talking again, boy does he love to talk, but she's not hearing a word. She just knows that it's time to go home now, and she's excited about that. Two more of these godforsaken dates and she's a free woman.

She doesn't even object when William guides her outside with his hand lightly pressed to her back. It's not like she'll ever see him again.

Once outside, Chloe heads straight for the blue pick-up only to be stopped by William.

"I thought we could take a walk," he smiles while holding his hand out, palm up, gesturing toward the opposite direction of his truck.

Chloe frowns. She doesn't want to take a walk, especially in this area. She wants to go home. But she relents. The dinner went by so fast; William probably doesn't feel as if it was much of a "date."

She walks beside him, getting further and further away from the blue pick-up that's supposed to take her home. He's doing all the talking, and she's barely listening. She just hears the basics. She's guessing he was heavily into comic books as a kid because he keeps talking about masked vigilantes and superheroes and how awesome they are.

"The Blur is my favorite, I would do anything to meet him!" he nearly squeals like a little girl, and Chloe has to laugh. He did meet him. The Blur is her roommate and best friend, Clark Kent.

She's too busy thinking about Clark and her empty belly that she's gonna make him fill, so she thinks nothing of it when William asks to borrow her phone. She just hands it over.

"Oh man, I only have a hundred dollars left in my wallet!" William yells loudly, startling the crap out of Chloe. "Here I am, on a date with the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen in my life and I only have a hundred dollars! Oh wait, I found fifty extra dollars!"

After getting over her shock, Chloe grabs his arm. "What the hell are you doing?" she hisses, trying her best to avoid glancing at the different groups of what Chloe hopes are model citizens of Metropolis; but she doubts it, especially because she can see the way they're looking at her and William. It isn't pretty.

"I can't believe I only have a hundred and fifty dollars!" William wails even louder.

"Hush!" Chloe hisses.

"Hush? How are we supposed to get mugged if I'm quiet?" he hisses back with a straight face.

She freezes. "What?" It's barely a whisper, and it doesn't matter to her if he's heard it or not. She's still trying to process his words. _How are we supposed to get mugged if I'm quiet? _He _wants _to get mugged? Who the hell in their right mind would _want _to get mugged. She must've heard him wrong. That's the only explanation.

"I did it once, but The Blur came a little late. I ended up in the hospital for a week; but I figure if he hears a woman screaming for help this time he'll come much faster. Then we'll get to meet him!" William's eyes light up. He's excited about this; which means Chloe's in danger. She can tell William has lost his mind, maybe never even had it. She needs to call Clark.

"Give me my phone back," she commands. But she knows her phone won't help her right now. Five or six guys are approaching, quickly. By the time she dials Clark, it'll be too late.

"Oh, here they come," William squeaks. "Okay, start screaming for help on the count of three. One"-

Chloe takes off running.

"Hey come back!" is the last thing she hears from William.

If she wasn't being chased by half the guys that were trying to surround her and William, she would've felt guilty for leaving him there. Maybe. But for now, she's just worried about her own survival.

Naturally, she isn't able to run at full speed. She's wearing those stupid red heels, and as if that wasn't a bad enough disadvantage, she trips and falls.

"Clark!" She screams and her eyes involuntarily squeeze shut as she awaits a rough landing. She feels guilty immediately. She didn't want to yell Clark's name because she was afraid to reveal his identity; but it just slipped out. She couldn't help it. She needs him. And she knows he'll come.

What she wasn't expecting, was for him to come so fast. She expected to fall, probably even get hit once or twice before he showed. That's how it always happens, but it's not the case this time. She doesn't even hit the ground. Instead, she's lying on her couch, in her apartment, when she opens her eyes. She sits up. Clark's not with her, which means he probably went back for William. She hopes he didn't get too hurt. He's obviously off his rocker and needs to be institutionalized.

Clark appears before her less than a minute later. He kneels down in front of the sofa and pulls her into a tight hug. She clings to him as she begins to tremble. Her body is _just _now reacting to her ordeal. He's very quiet as he holds her. He doesn't ask her if she's okay and he doesn't tell her he told her so. It's exactly what she needs; but she is Chloe, so she doesn't always let herself have all the things she wants. She pulls away once she feels like she's stable enough, looks him in the eyes, puts on the best smile she can manage, and whispers, "you can go ahead and say "I told you so.""

Clark shakes his head. Of course he's not gonna do it. Instead, he lets his eyes roam over her face, then her body. She knows he's checking to make sure there isn't a single scratch on her. Once he's done, he tells her that he's glad she's alright before kissing her and walking away.

It's the same kind of kiss he gave her before her date. Right on the lips, but too quick to be considered romantic.

She sighs. Why can't she find a guy like Clark?

He comes back and sits beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her up close. That's when she realizes he's turned on the TV. Desperate Housewives is on. It's one of her favorites, but she can never get Clark to sit down and watch it with her. Looks like she succeeded tonight.

~{(O)(O)(O)}~

There are so many things going on in Clark's mind. First, Chloe's stupid blinds date with geezers and psychos. He wishes she'd just stop but she's so stubborn. If he tells her not to go on any more, then she'll want to go even more.

The second thing on his mind is how relieved he is that Chloe didn't get hurt tonight. He'd been keeping an ear out for her, off and on, throughout the night just in case she needed him. It didn't seem as if she would, her date sounded rather harmless, a bit of a geek, but harmless nonetheless. So, he tuned out. He busied himself with the busy streets of Metropolis, where the crime never sleeps. He was just lucky he happened to be within a mile of Chloe when she screamed his name. He doesn't want to think of what could've happened to her if he'd still been "tuned out."

Another thing that's on his mind is the hard on. Yeah, he's got another hard on. He's pretty disgusted with himself. Chloe just had a traumatizing experience and the second she's curled up with him on the couch, all safe from harm, he gets a freakin' hard on. It's totally insensitive on his part; but he can't help it. He only hopes Chloe doesn't notice.

He could pull away from her, go into his room and hide; but he can't be selfish tonight. Even though Chloe seems to be fine, he knows she's not. She's just pretending to be, for his sake, her sake, who knows; but it doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is she's_ not_ fine. So, he's sitting with her, watching Desperate Housewives in order to make her feel better, which is yet another thing on his mind. Not the fact that he can't believe he's watching it, but it's actually kind of funny. He can't believe he's enjoying this.

Chloe shifts a little, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Somehow, she manages to both get even closer to him and brush her hand across the front of his pants.

He gasps. Now she knows!

He expects her to jump up, curse him out, and stomp off to her bedroom; but she giggles instead. "That Eva Longoria is something else huh," she winks.

Clark nods his head, too relieved that she isn't upset to ask her who the hell Eva Longoria is. But then common sense finds its way to his doorstep and he realizes Eva Longoria is the woman on the screen. He lets out a nervous chuckle. "Eva Longoria's got nothing on you, Chloe," he tells her.

This makes Chloe laugh pretty hard, and she playfully swats at his chest. "Thank you for trying to build up my self-esteem." She's still laughing as she thanks him.

She has no idea that he's serious.

"I have to agree with Clark junior there, Eva's definitely hot." She winks before turning her attention back onto the screen.

Clark's mouth flies open. The thought of Chloe and Eva is not a turn on for him. He's just realized he doesn't want to share her with _anyone_.

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

**A/N: **Next post, and last, post will be Tuesday, the 17th


	4. Chapter 4

**Whatareweafraidof: **You're so right about that!

**SilverSnikle: **Lol. Clark, just come out and tell Chloe she's the reason for his…pants getting tighter? I just don't see him doing it. Lol. He's too…Clark.

**Dizzy78: **Hey! Good to see ya again. I totally agree. I would've stopped at Walter.

**Kanahime-chan: **Thanks!

**The fallen sky: **Me, take it easy on Chloe? Are you not the author of "The Death of Superman?" Lol. I rest my case.

I'm so glad you're enjoying Chloe's dates. She sure as hell isn't but oh well. It makes for good entertainment, right? You know, I could've gotten William to try and hurt Chloe himself, but I thought it would be more fun this way; not to mention a bit different. Plus, I actually laughed when I thought it up, so I figured you guys would enjoy it as well. Looks like I was right!

**BkWurm1: **Lol. Thanks. I didn't know anyone would realize Chloe's lost two phones. Nice catch;)

**Shonnia22: ** Thank you! I thought William was a lot of fun to write. He sure was crazy as hell!

~~{(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)}~~

Clark's dating Kelly again. Well, he didn't come out and say it, but Chloe's sure of it. He's been talking to her over the phone, a lot; and they meet for "lunch" quite a few times out of the week. He's even got a date with her tonight.

Chloe sighs deeply as she gets dressed. She's happy for him. She really and truly is; but she's sadder for herself. She too has a date tonight. Date number freakin' three. By all means, she shouldn't go. She nearly died on the first two. First when Walter ran the red light trying to buckle her back in; then when William decided to use her as bait so that he could meet The Blur. But she's going. She promised Lois she'd do two more. This is one out of two. She just hopes she doesn't lose another damn phone.

She checks herself in her mirror and smiles satisfactorily. Jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of white sneakers. Hey, the t-shirt is formfitting, as are the jeans; and her Nikes are spotless. Though she doesn't want to go on this date, she _did_ make a little effort; but at the same time she's prepared. If she has to run from someone again, she'll have a better chance in sneakers than in heels. Plus, rather than having her date pick her up, she's meeting him at Blue's Corner; a cozy little jazz restaurant not even a block away. That way, she can walk there and back. No need to waste her gas. She doesn't have any high hopes for this date despite the fact that Lois has told her this one might just be "the one;" third time being a charm and all.

Chloe checks her watch and notes that it's time for her to go. She drags her feet, turning off lights, checking locks, and doing a lot of other things she doesn't usually bother with. Her actions are testament to the fact that though it's been a month since her date with William, she's not ready to meet Sblue86. Especially because her user name on the site is Surlygirl86. It makes her feel like the site matched them up just because their user names have five characters in common. And based on the last two dates, that wouldn't surprise her at all. In fact, it'd be an improvement. No matter how this guy turned out. At least they'd actually have _something _in common.

She just hopes they don't have _too_ much in common; like certain parts of their anatomy. Wouldn't it just be peachy if Sblue86 turned out to be a woman? She wouldn't put that past the stupid site.

One more deep breath later, she's out the door and locking up. She repeatedly reminds herself that after this date she's only got one more to go as she walks over to Blue's Corner.

It should've taken her two minutes; but she took her time. There were a lot of pauses as she had to force herself to keep moving forward and to _not _turn around and go home. Then suddenly, she's at the door of the restaurant, and she's being ushered inside by a man who's gentleman enough to open it for her. It's not like she can just let him hold the door open for her forever, so she walks inside.

Immediately she sees a familiar face, and it puts her in a better mood. If Clark's here, her date can't go wrong at all. He'll take care of her. This is something she knows, but will never admit out loud.

She walks over to him, prepared to say a quick hello, just to let him know she's here. He may be all alone now, but she's sure his date is either in the bathroom or on her way. She doesn't want to be a problem.

Before she can sneak up behind him and tap his shoulder, she sees his head cock to the side a bit before he turns around and spots her. She shakes her head a little. What made her think she could sneak up on Clark?

He grins back at her and she wishes he was her date. Sure, he's an alien and he's a bit clueless at times, but he's the best man she knows. Plus, she'd be in no danger whatsoever tonight.

"Waiting for your date?" Chloe asks once she's standing right beside him.

"Yeah, but I don't know if she's coming. I was supposed to meet her here at eight," he says a bit sadly.

Chloe really hates seeing him even the slightest bit sad. He's like a lost, and blind, newborn puppy. So she rolls her eyes at him before giving him a piece of wisdom. "It's only five minutes after eight, Clark. She's not that late."

But Clark's not convinced. He lowers his eyes to the table. "Yeah, but who shows up late to a blind date? Clearly someone who doesn't want to be there."

Chloe scoffs. _She _would show up late to a blind date. In fact, she tried her best to, but despite her efforts she's only a few minutes late. Which reminds her, she should be looking for her blind date. And at the thought of the words "blind date" she realizes there's something fishy about what Clark just said. He's waiting for a blind date. "Kelly can't be considered a _blind _date."

Though she was talking to herself, Clark answers her. "I'm not meeting Kelly. I'm supposed to be meeting Surlygirl86."

Chloe blinks a few times. Something is supposed to click in her brain, but it doesn't. Not for a whole eight seconds. Then she realizes what it is that's supposed to click. She's Surlygirl86. That means Clark is…

"_You're _Sblue86?" Chloe gasps.

Clark narrows his eyes at her. "How'd you know?" he blushes, seemingly embarrassed to be caught using a dating service. Then she watches him come to the same conclusion as she did. "You're Surlygirl86, aren't you?"

She nods her head in response. They're supposed to be on a date with _each other_.

Clark stands, and as if it's a cue for them to go home, Chloe turns to leave. She expects him to be right beside her. She just knows that he's gonna wanna go home and talk about what a waste of time _this _date was.

"Chloe." She turns, and sees Clark holding her chair out for her. "Have a seat."

She gives him a slight frown, but when she sees the way he's grinning at her, she can't help but to smile back. Maybe he's right. They might as well enjoy a night out together. It's not like they've never done it before.

Once she's seated, Clark steps behind her and pushes her in. There isn't the slightest bit of struggle on his part. In fact, he doesn't seem to be exerting a tenth of his strength. The push is very gentle, gentle enough to caress her arms as he goes, but still strong enough to move her whole body and a wooden chair. It's one thing to be super strong, but knowing how to be gentle at the same time is a skill Clark has perfected. She always wondered why he was afraid to sleep with women. Despite his fears, she always doubted he'd actually hurt one.

"Shall we order?" Clark asks, pulling her thoughts away from direction they were headed; which happened to be the dirtiest gutter she could think up.

"Yeah," she answers a bit too brightly.

He laughs at her. It makes her frown. "What?" she scowls.

"You were just thinking of something dirty, weren't you?" he teases.

"No, I was _about_ to think of something dirty," Chloe shoots back, making him laugh even harder. Then she realizes how ridiculous that sounded and she can't help but to laugh with him.

"So, what was it?" Clark asks when their laughter has subsided.

Chloe shakes her head. "Not in front of the waiter," she winks before ordering salmon on a bed of white rice. No alcohol. She won't need it. Clark orders the steak with yellow rice. She's definitely gonna try some of that when it gets here.

"The waiter's gone," Clark announces unnecessarily.

Chloe snorts and shakes her head. There's no way she's actually telling him she was _about _to start thinking about the two of them in bed together. He's being easy going right now, but he'd totally freak and get all weird around her. She's sure of it.

"That's okay, keep your secrets," Clark grins. "But if you were thinking about that guy over there, I feel the need to remind you that _I'm _your date, not him. You're supposed to be thinking about me."

Chloe knows Clark's just joking, but she feels a blush coming on so she turns to get a look at who Clark doesn't want her to be thinking about. He's handsome; _really_ handsome if Chloe's being fair; but it seems as if he's taken by a very beautiful brunette, and an even cuter and smaller version of the two of them. He's a family man; but even if he was single, Chloe wouldn't give him a second glance. Not while she's here with Clark. He can't compare.

Suddenly, Clark stands. Chloe turns around quickly. She's a little startled by the abrupt noise his chair made, but she's not the least bit worried. He probably has to use the bathroom, which is code for "someone's in danger and he needs to go be The Blur."

But Clark's not on his way to the bathroom. He's standing next to her; offering his hand. "Dance with me," he says. It's technically a command, but it's a really soft one. She can say no if she wants to. _ If _she wants to.

"Come on Chloe, I wanna dance with my date. We won't be the only ones," Clark tells her as he grabs her hand and pulls her to her feet. Apparently, Chloe took too long to answer; and apparently it was a stronger command than she originally thought. Not that she was gonna say no anyway.

There's a small dance area, not floor, in front of the live entertainment and Clark pulls her to the very center. There are maybe five or six couples dancing around them, but they don't seem to notice Chloe and Clark. They all seem to be so in love, so deeply absorbed by one another, that no one else in the world seems to exist. Even the handsome man is out here with his wife and daughter. It's beautiful the way they're all dancing together.

Chloe tries to show Clark, but he takes her hand in his and pulls her close to him. So Close that she can feel that he has an erection. "Don't point. It's rude," he whispers in her ear as he places his other hand on her hip.

She raises her eyebrows, but she doesn't look up at him. He's gonna teach her manners now? And besides, not all pointing is rude. He's doing a bit of pointing too, right at her belly. She's sure he knows it and she expects him to suggest they sit down.

He doesn't. He doesn't say anything. So, she feels this need to bring it to his attention. She doesn't know what for. As soon as she says something, he's gonna get all weird on her; but she's the master at stating the obvious.

"Uh, Clark? Your"-

"I can't help it sometimes. It just happens," he cuts her off.

Ouch. That hurt her pride a bit, but she can't be mad at him. It's their friendship that's to blame. If they weren't so close, he wouldn't tell her so matter-of-factly that he's hard because he can't help it. He'd be embarrassed, probably even refuse to be anywhere near her until he calmed down.

"Are you uncomfortable?" Clark asks when Chloe's been quiet to long. It's only been about twenty seconds, but that's a long time for Chloe.

Chloe shakes her head. She's not uncomfortable per se. She's just…She doesn't really know how she feels. Sad, she guesses. But she doesn't exactly know why.

"Foods here!" Clark announces suddenly with a grin before rushing her over to their table.

Chloe laughs at him and lets him pull her chair out for her. Just like that, he's managed to cheer her up.

Their meals are delicious. Chloe helps herself to a bit of Clark's steak, and Clark helps himself to all of her rice. She didn't say he could have it, but she doesn't fight him when he takes it. She's having too much fun to care. They have about three dozen "remember when" and "guess who I saw" moments. And none of them are ever boring. Hey, they lived in Smallville. For such a small town, they had an extremely eventful childhood; so eventful that they're the last couple in to leave the restaurant. Not that they were the ones to notice. They were told by the owner that Blue's Corner was closing for the night.

Both of them are embarrassed and apologize, but the owner, who introduced himself as Blue, waved their apologies away. "It's no problem. You two make a beautiful couple, you know," he tells them as he begins to collect the plates off their table.

Chloe's about to tell Blue that she and Clark aren't a couple but Clark speaks first. "It's out first date," he beams proudly before taking her hand in his.

"Is that right?" Blue says a little distractedly. "Well you two are gonna have to pick out a ring soon."

Again, Chloe's about to disagree with Blue; and again Clark speaks up first. "You think so?"

"Oh, I know so. Old Blue has been losing his sight slowly over the years, but that don't mean he can't see," Blue winks.

Clark grins back, and thanks Blue before leading a confused Chloe out of the restaurant.

Once outside, Chloe stops Clark with a tug of his hand. He gives her his full attention. "What was that? Why'd you let him think we're dating?"

Clark frowns back at her. "You _are_ my date, Chloe."

"Yeah, but this isn't a real date."

"Why not? Aren't you a real girl?" Clark smirks.

"Finally noticed?" Chloe shoots back. She did _not_ mean to say that, but since it's out she makes an effort to keep a smile so that he knows she meant no harm.

He cocks his head a little, considering her. "Trust me. I noticed long before tonight." And before Chloe can wonder what that's supposed to mean, Clark grabs her hand. "Shall I walk you home, Miss Sullivan?"

Chloe smiles back. "Of course, Mr. Kent."

Two minutes. That's how long they walk together, hand in hand, until they're at their front door. Chloe pulls out her key and stands in front of the door, blocking it and facing Clark at the same time. He cocks an eyebrow at her, wondering what she's about to do or say.

"So, what's it gonna be? Are you gonna kiss me goodnight, or _tell_ me goodnight before turning around and heading towards your car?"

Clark grins at Chloe. She's joking around, making light of their date and ready to transform back into friends now that it's over; but still having fun with this little game of theirs. What she doesn't know, is that Clark took the date _very _serious. He's not playing a game. He takes a few steps toward her, getting as close to her as he can without poking her. "How about you let me in," he grins wickedly.

Chloe's smile widens. Of course he'd choose option C. He lives here too after all. But why make it easy on him. So she teases him a little more. "Sorry, Mr. Kent; I don't sleep with men on the first date."

His eyes widen and Chloe thinks that maybe she went a little too far, until she notices the expression on his face. It's the face he makes when he's about to say, "Wanna bet?"

Then his lips are on hers, and she knows he'd win that bet. She would _definitely _sleep with Clark after a first date. She opens her mouth, prepared to tell him he was right, she was wrong, but Clark doesn't let up. He's still kissing her! They're kissing, really kissing. Not just exchanging friendly goodbye, or "I'm so glad you didn't get killed by your psychotic date," kisses.

Clark runs his hand down Chloe's arm until he finds her keys. He takes them from her and unlocks the door. Not once does he remove his lips from hers during that whole exchange. When he does stop kissing Chloe, it's to ask her one question. Chloe assumes he's gonna ask her if she's sure she wants to be with him, but he surprises her. "Your room or mine?" he barely gets out as he slams the front door behind him and starts kissing her again. If she was gonna answer, he didn't really give her chance. Which is okay anyway, it's as if he's read her mind because he lifts her up and takes her into his bedroom. That's where she was gonna say she wanted to go if she had been able to answer. His room is the closest.

~{(O)(O)(O)}~

In a dark alley, not even five miles away from Chloe and Clark's apartment, Lois holds a very important meeting.

"Congratulations," she practically sings as she hands Thug 1, Thug 2, and Thug 5 a twenty and a six pack. Thug 3 and Thug 4 get a twenty and a pack of Newports. They're not exactly old enough to drink yet, just old enough to scare the life out of people.

They say thanks and walk away. It was easy money.

To the cook, Lois hands over fifty dollars. She wants more than that, her reputation was on the line for serving that brown salad. Lois rolls her eyes and hands her an extra 5. This makes the overweight woman frown, but Lois could care less. "That's all I'm giving you," Lois says firmly. The cook mumbles a few swear words under her breath but leaves all the same.

"Here ya go Hank," she smiles brightly as she hands the officer a Benjamin.

He grins back at her before walking away. "Nice doing business with ya, Lane" he calls over his shoulder.

Lois miles after him before turning on the last two. She holds three one hundred dollar bills to each of them. "Here you go Walter, William."

"How many times do I have to tell you my name is Jack, Lois." William says. Lois shrugs. She's never gonna remember that. She hired him to be William. He'll always be William to her.

"And my name is Bob, d"-

"If you call me "dear" Walter, I'll kick your bald ass. Just take the money, say thank you, and leave."

Bob and Jack, or William and Walter, scowl back at Lois before taking the money and turning their backs on her.

They forget to say thank you, but that's okay.

"Thank you for being complete assholes," Lois calls after them. If they hadn't been, Chloe Smallville would've never gotten together.

They owe her big time. But that's okay too. She'll make Smallville pay. Chloe already did. She walks to her car, thinking up how many different ways she can make Clark pay her back.


End file.
